There are a lot of places in the world where people are "nice", but in my opinion this is a more fleeting trait than a culture rooted in tolerance.

I don't know of any other place in the world where men feel safe changing their sex and acting like women. Combine that with the incredibly laid-back, smiley nature of the Thai people, who welcome foreigners into their land with a level of friendliness most other countries simply do not have, and I think they may be the most tolerant and open place in the world.

Does anyone disagree? Are there even any other contenders for the most tolerant society?

I would say the Netherlands (my experience is AMS only) is very open and liberal. I've not been to other parts, but I would definitely say AMS could give Thailand a run for it's money in open mindedness and liberal thinking.

So far Thailand is the most tolerant one as they are open to changes and when it comes to sexual preference it's no issue to them, unlike other countries who are still conservative in so many ways that sometimes you yourself cannot understand them.

I don't know if I would call them tolerant. In the busy tourist areas, places like lower Sukhumvit, Khao San or other places in the Kingdom such as Phuket, sure. But once you are out in the country, you're a falang and are to be treated with suspicion, although respect. If you think for a second that the countrymen of Thailand are OK with you fucking their young lasses you're sadly mistaken.

Thai are not very tolerant people at all, that is a big mistake as some have already said. The way they treat refugees says it all. You don't want to know how they feel about coloured people, absolutely very racist. As a farang and certainly in the tourist area you are treated well and yes, they are very tolerant towards gay people, but that is about it.

Reviving an old thread again......but one of interest. I think the Thai tolerance towards foreigners is very superficial and has mostly to do with their love of money. Thais are the most racist people I have ever encountered, even to their own from Isaan or the south. When I first came to Thailand I was shocked by the overt racism displayed and endorsed by Thais. They're ethnocentric, believing in the absolute superiority of the Thai way and so ignorant of the outside world that they think all non-Thais are even more ignorant than they are. Open to other cultures they're most certainly not. Foreigners are tolerated because of their money and because the Thai way is to be polite in public, but don't mistake public politeness and tolerance for acceptance and open-mindedness. Foreigners will always be a curiosity and a resource to be exploited.

They're a hypocritical bunch too, banning pornography and alcohol on religious days, yet they have to be one of the most promiscuous people I have ever encountered. Thai women drop their panties really quickly and cheat on their partners without a seconds hesitation. I wouldn't by any stretch of the imagination call Thais open-minded; they're just tolerant of promiscuous sexual behaviour while condemning it in public. If you want to see the depths of their intolerance, just look at their political system.

I agree with the poster from 2015 who said that "there is always an undercurrent of pent up hatred for the farangs by thai guys". Absolutely; they detest that farang money can buy the girls they so desperately want to fuck and it does sometimes explode with calamitous consequences; such as when the jealous Tom throws a wobbly outside the bar she works at because she just wants to fuck all the coyotes and some customer is getting in her way, or when the Thai boyfriend comes to check on his girl after she's finished work and sees her walking hand in hand with her farang customer.

I have to agree with many here. The tolerance is only superficial. In public they are tolerant of farang, but in Private they all gossip about them. They gossip about the women that are with them as well. They are also very racist, as they don't trust any black or Indian people at all. In the south many also don;t trust muslims as it is always a muslim blowing up shit in the south.

Reviving an old thread again......but one of interest. I think the Thai tolerance towards foreigners is very superficial and has mostly to do with their love of money. Thais are the most racist people I have ever encountered, even to their own from Isaan or the south. When I first came to Thailand I was shocked by the overt racism displayed and endorsed by Thais. They're ethnocentric, believing in the absolute superiority of the Thai way and so ignorant of the outside world that they think all non-Thais are even more ignorant than they are. Open to other cultures they're most certainly not. Foreigners are tolerated because of their money and because the Thai way is to be polite in public, but don't mistake public politeness and tolerance for acceptance and open-mindedness. Foreigners will always be a curiosity and a resource to be exploited.

They're a hypocritical bunch too, banning pornography and alcohol on religious days, yet they have to be one of the most promiscuous people I have ever encountered. Thai women drop their panties really quickly and cheat on their partners without a seconds hesitation. I wouldn't by any stretch of the imagination call Thais open-minded; they're just tolerant of promiscuous sexual behaviour while condemning it in public. If you want to see the depths of their intolerance, just look at their political system.

I agree with the poster from 2015 who said that "there is always an undercurrent of pent up hatred for the farangs by thai guys". Absolutely; they detest that farang money can buy the girls they so desperately want to fuck and it does sometimes explode with calamitous consequences; such as when the jealous Tom throws a wobbly outside the bar she works at because she just wants to fuck all the coyotes and some customer is getting in her way, or when the Thai boyfriend comes to check on his girl after she's finished work and sees her walking hand in hand with her farang customer.

Oooh JS89, it's easy to see that you have shifted from tourist to expat and its sad to say you are 110% correct in every way.

Foreigners are tolerated because they usually have money to spend and are deemed a possible income. Once one is able to understand the Thai language rather than just speak a few phrases, one can hear how racist and how discriminatory most Thais really are towards outsiders. That includes people from the surrounding Asian countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos etc. They are consistently harassed and discriminated against quite openly. If they had money they would be tolerated. As many of us are. It doesn't mean that they like us...